Day 5: Aye, an' tha' wuild be Himself a-takin' o' 'is wee mid-day meal, th' dear wee lad. Far from the best photo, it is at least documentation of the male Anna's Hummingbird who is a frequent, if very brief visitor to the feeder. His colour is extremely difficult to catch, his throat and crown black in most lights, affording only a glint of red as he turns his head. Since he seemed to be more hungry than usual yesterday, I set the camera up on the tripod in the middle of the living room, determined to capture his full red glory. "Himself" I call him, the Scottish term of respect for the lord and master of the manor, although I do not believe that there is only this one individual. He is very territorial, and frequently leaves the restaurant in hot pursuit of interlopers. I have only seen him share the feeder once, and that with a female. I have it on report from a friend that Anna's is a year-'round species, at least in Eatonville, but this year marks the first time I have confirmed them in my yard at any season. And as another friend remarked, "Nature has been very kind to you during the pandemic." That she has: Anna's Hummingbirds by the hundred, Chickadees of both species eating from my hand, Scrub Jay and friend at the feeder, the Nuthatch, even my very own Corallorhiza maculata ("Mac"), all within the bounds of my yard.
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